


The Messages Left Behind

by orphan_account



Series: Dates with a gym leader [2]
Category: Young Avengers (Comics)
Genre: Alternate Universe - No Powers, Angst with a Happy Ending, Enemies to Friends to Lovers, First Meetings, First Time, Frottage, M/M, Past Abuse, Scars, Slight Kate/Tommy, pokemon go!AU
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-07-23
Updated: 2016-08-07
Packaged: 2018-07-26 05:51:06
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 11,730
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7562821
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/orphan_account
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>The furthest Billy had gone out of his way to claim a gym had been a two hour ride to the edges of a suburb, followed up by an hour long hike into a thick forest. Eight days later, someone had found the gym and decided to fight Billy for it.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. The Hunting Observatory

**Author's Note:**

> **IMPORTANT:** I’ve made some changes to the app _Pokémon GO_ so that it’s possible for this fiasco to take place. You can imagine it being a future update, as the story starts taking place in at least late August, possibly even mid September. The main thing I’ve changed is that your Pokémon’s nickname is public if you’ve placed it in a gym and turned off Parental Control (which is there so that small kids aren’t bombarded with dick jokes constantly while trying to enjoy the game). All characters in this story have Parental Control settings turned off.

It was no lie that Billy would do short of almost anything to take over the best gyms around town, hold them as long as he possibly could, and collect his reward the second the 24 hour cycle ended. All this so he could make sure that all his Pokécoins and Stardust earnings were kept on the higher end of the scale, allowing him to always buy the things he needed during his hunting expeditions. The furthest he had gone out of his way to claim a gym in a low-user area – which he found using Ingress’ larger scaled maps – had been a two hour ride to the edges of a suburb, followed up by an hour long hike into a thick forest, too far away from civilization to be found on the in-game map unless you were actually walking on the hiking trails surrounding the gym.

It had been a Tuesday night, far too late for someone of Billy’s age to be out on a night stroll to catch a Pokémon or two, when Billy noticed that his mid-tier Staryu didn’t have the small badge next to it. Someone had taken over the only gym Billy would have entrusted with Pokémon with only 240 CP. He had by then been holding it for eight consecutive days, and Billy felt a surge of annoyance run down his spine, settling on his lower back, and Billy had to force to think that he was more annoyed at his secret steady stream of resources had been found rather than the idea someone beating him. _Fuck_. He really thought he had that one all for himself.

And to make matters worse, he knew he wouldn’t be able to go claim it back until the weekend.

* * *

The bell worked itself into Billy’s daydreams. It took him a moment to realise that Friday afternoon was finally over, and that he was free for sixty hours to do as he wished. Billy shot out of his seat so fast he almost knocked his head with John Kessler, but he was already out the door before the bully had a chance to punch Billy for slightly bothering him. Billy ran towards the buses which he normally never took in hope of making it out in time, so that he would be home in time for dinner. He felt like he was unstoppable in his determination. _I am the king of the_ world.

The bus ride was slow – its driving speed of it lower than usual as office workers looking for an early end caused traffic jam out to the suburbs – but Billy had brought an audiobook he had planned to listen to, and a notebook he could doodle in. The scenery flashed by him during the first hour, and during the second an old little woman pressured him into a conversation because he looked “so much alike” her grandson. Billy was sure it wasn’t the case, and only something she said so he wouldn’t ignore her.

When she finally fifteen minutes later, which to Billy felt like three quarters of an hour, he found himself lonely as he was left all by himself. Despite being somewhat annoying when she had been there, the old woman’s loss was strongly noticible. _I could have brought Tommy_ , he supposed, but Billy didn’t want to give up his secret spot to someone on the _wrong team_ , the conflict already present the moment Tommy had chosen to join Kate in Instinct instead of Billy’s Mystic. He didn’t want to go out all the way here only to have Tommy take over the gym the moment they left. Anyways, Tommy would have insisted Kate should come too, turning the odds to two against one – and though he could have beaten any of them in a solo battle he wasn’t sure he could take out both of them when they were working  together.

So he endured the rest of the ride, which ended up closer to three hours than two, like the last time, alone, fiddling with his fingers and in the end not even bothering with the smooth rich male voice which would try to tell him a story from a book he would’ve forgotten before the day was over anyways. When the bus finally reached Billy’s destination, he stepped out to the empty bus stop which not only lacked a bench, but wasn’t even asphalted, the soles of his feet feeling the gravel ground underneath his red All Stars. He had regretted not bringing sturdier shoes the last time he had come here, and mentally beat himself up now that he had forgotten them again, but he also let his lungs get filled with forest-wet air. He had read somewhere that the smell was a by-product of some kind of fungi interacting with water, but he didn’t really care – chemicals and spores be damned. He took another breath and hoped the fresh air would flush out some of the toxic exhaust gases found only in big cities.

Billy wasn’t one to dislike nature – in actuality, he rather enjoyed a nice stroll through trees and grass – but he couldn’t say either that he was a person inclined towards nature itself. Some of the things he had issues with were understandable: mosquitos and midges biting every uncovered inch of skin they had access to; roots which his feet had a tendency to trip over, all ending up with Billy in a high pile of wet grass with ominous itches when he stood up; the hot, humid late-summer air which laid thick in the shadows of great trees, not having moved since the last big storm.

Other concerns, however, were not as understandable: an ant hill in the distance, far from the proximity of Billy’s near surroundings, which gave him an irrational worry of finding ants in his backpack when he got back home despite it being on his back still; rustling and cracking of dry twigs, noises he was certain were caused by Yetis or axe murderers who had waited for years on the very spot to kill Billy specifically; his phone battery dying and his power bank malfunctioning, which would render him unable to take over the gym at that time, forcing him to go another week with _his_ gym in the hands of the wrong team.

But none of the things happened, nor the more sensible fears nor the less reasonable, and Billy reached his destination soon enough – an old hunting observatory from times when the suburbs had still been a forest area, in prime location for sighting deer and the occasional moose. Before he clicked on the gym – _dirty red with their arrogant attitude, someone should really teach them to stay in their lane_ – he checked the surrounding area for spawning Pokémon, healed the Pokémon he wanted to use in this fight, and walked over so that he stood right next to the tower.

> Heraldswood’s South Hunting Observatory  
>  Gym level 1  
>  0 / 2000
> 
> n0noise  
>  Level 20
> 
> got u, fkn lol _(Magikarp)_  
>  CP 26

It took at least a couple of minutes before Billy could do anything but stand there, breathing hard out of his nose and forcing away the heat which had crawled up his face, phone-holding hand trembling and eyes watering. The whole situation was making his blood boil, from the loss of his gym to the fact that someone like n0noise had put him on the spot. It was like a fist to the stomach – a punch to the gut as some might say – and he felt his patience levels fall down a notch alongside his self-esteem, despite it going against any logic Billy could think of. He was tired, he was angry, and now he had been ridiculed. _Today has sucked,_ and Billy wasn’t the king he had felt he had been _._

Billy beat the Magikarp in a single blow, which Billy assumed had been the Valor player’s intentions all along. However, the victory only brought a sour taste to his mouth instead of the pleasant adrenaline rush he usually got. When it came to claiming the gym, Billy contemplated naming the same Staryu something equally mean to what n0noise had named their _Magikarp, fuck, who the fuck do they think they are?_ , but he didn’t want to lower himself to the same level as someone who was probably a good couple of years younger than him. So he nicknamed it “Why be mean? :(” instead, hoping the kid would realise that his feelings had been hurt.

He left the way he had come, and an hour later he was on the bus again, taking the highway bus home so he didn’t have to sit through all the unnecessary stops and walk the last bit to the Kaplan house in complete darkness.

* * *

It took until Thursday lunch before Billy’s Staryu once again was free to be placed in another gym, meaning someone – _probably the brat n0noise_ , Billy grumbled – had taken over his secret forest gym again. The entire afternoon, and most of Thursday night, were spent by Billy deciding whether or not he should bother to go out there, or if he should let the gym go to the kid. However, by Friday morning he still hadn’t made up his mind, which caused him to pack a power bank and a pair of joggers so he would be prepared no matter what he chose to do when time came.

And the time came, later rather than sooner, and again Billy found himself on a bus – this time taking _barely_ two hours, much to Billy’s satisfaction – heading towards the suburbs and the hidden tower. He powered down the path quickly in his way more comfortable shoes, water bottle in one hand and his phone in his other so he could get a few extra miles counting towards some of the 10 km eggs he had found earlier in the week. The gym showed up when he was still a good kilometre away, red again instead of the beautiful blue hue he had left it in. When he was close enough, Billy pressed on it with a determination of not letting his emotions turn sour, no matter _what_ the make-shift message left to him were.

> Heraldswood’s South Hunting Observatory  
>  Gym level 1  
>  0 / 2000
> 
> n0noise  
>  Level 21
> 
> sorry:( ill be nicer:))) _(Dratini)_  
>  CP 246

The message left for him made him feel much better than it had done last time, and Billy felt a small smile bring the corners of his mouth upwards. It was dumb that such a little thing could make him almost forget what he had felt last time he had been in the very same forest, equally alone as he was now, yet there he stood as the living proof of such silliness. No negative thoughts crossed his mind as he beat the Dratini and left a weak Dragonair as a jest he hoped the other player would pick up on. He nicknamed it: “I’m Billy! You?”

* * *

And so their exchange of snippets continued, a short line of words left behind once or twice a week, with Billy jotting them down in a notebook he had found lying under Tommy’s desk so that he wouldn’t forget what n0noise – actually named Teddy, around Billy’s despite the childish introduction they had endured and Teddy’s inability to use proper punctuation, and a huge Pokémon nerd since childhood – said to him before he himself replied. Teddy lived much closer to the gym than Billy did, with only the hour-long walk to endure instead of an added two hour bus ride – _well, four hours really, if you thought about it too much._ Billy decided not to.

Teddy was also an art student, which he demonstrated again and again by leaving small sketches of whatever Pokémon Billy had left in the gym interacting with the one Teddy placed down for the brunette to find. Billy would carefully take them out of the plastic pocket they were left in by Teddy, place it between some pages in one of his notebooks, and when he got home he would keep them in a hidden folder in his drawer underneath some tank tops and socks.

It was after Teddy had left a full blown painting of all the Pokémon either of them had left for the other, signing it with a “For Billy” just above his own name, that Billy realised that he was _maybe, quite certainly, perhaps definitely_ forming a crush on this faceless man – boy – _guy;_ and the thought scared him.

He came to the conclusion quite quickly that he needed to involve Tommy into this entire mess, because the feelings Billy felt for Teddy were blossoming inside him too fast for his own comfort. Though Kate would normally be his first choice, at the end of the day she couldn’t give advice that hit as close to home as Tommy’s did. Twin stuff, most likely, but it still made Billy feel a bit ashamed for his betrayal to his oldest friend when he told Tommy all about what had happened the last couple of weeks the very same night.

“ – and I think I’m forming a crush on him too…”

“Dude!” Tommy first words were loud and reminded Billy of a yell. “I can’t believe you!”

Billy looked at Tommy with panicked worry. “I’m sorry, nothing happened, I promise, I haven’t even met him yet.”

“No, bro, I can’t _believe_ you let me think you were going to the library to study all while you were our secretly playing Pokémon – no wonder you’re always at a higher level than me and Kate!”

Billy crossed his arms and furrowed his eyebrows. “Is that really what you’re worried about here?”

“Yeah!” Moving his hands faster than Billy wanted to follow with his eyes, Tommy continued: “You could at least _taken me with you_ , I could’ve gained so much XP.”

The tension Billy had built up in anticipation for a bad response from Tommy when he told his twin all about his secret left his body, and he relaxed with a playful grin on his face.

“And let you steal my gym? Fat chance, kiddo.” He ended the sentence with an airy chuckle.

Tommy let out a matching one – _when will I be used to someone sounding just like me?_ Billy thought, not for the first time – and paired it with a finger pointing into Billy’s chest. “For being such a nerd, you’re a fucking bully.”

Billy didn’t bother to answer his brother’s obvious banter, knowing it would lead to a wrestling match he would definitely lose. Instead he nodded his head in acknowledgement that he had heard what Tommy had said, but still showing that they should change the subject.

Tommy did so immediately: “You mentioned that he drew some pictures for you?”

“Yeah,” Billy answered. “You want to see them?”

“Sure.” The shrug Tommy added didn’t look genuine to Billy’s eyes, but he let his brother believe he hadn’t caught up on his excitement. Billy stood up and took three short steps to his drawer, opened it and found his folder immediately. He turned around and placed it in Tommy’s lap, and Tommy opened it up with swift fingers.

“They’re nice, right?”

“Yeah!” The white haired twin’s eyes were wide, and Billy thought Tommy had suspected that he had exaggerated when he told him of Teddy’s drawing abilities. “There’s not so many of them.”

“No, I know. I wish there were more.” He shrugged his shoulders. “The last one makes up for it though.”

“True that.”

“Do you want to come with me next time?”

The question was out of Billy’s mouth before his brain had fully processed the thought through, and Billy almost regretted saying it until he saw Tommy’s genuine eye-reaching smile when he had answered that he would love to.

* * *

The only time Billy was consistent in his visits to the tower gym were on Fridays, arriving short of five in the afternoon most of the time, for the past seven weeks. This time Billy wasn’t alone, Tommy walking mostly quietly behind Billy, letting the brunette lead the way while he whistled and hummed, not once falling over a root, unlike his twin who did so a handful of times during the one hour walk.

Billy pressed his keys against his palm in an attempt to ground himself as they neared their destination. He wouldn’t admit he was scared to have Tommy with him today, not with said person in earshot at least, but he wouldn’t _lie_ either and say he was completely fine if someone were to ask. It’s not like the fear was rational, not like by having Tommy here would break the weak connection he had to Teddy, losing the only friend who wasn’t his own brother or someone he saw as a sister just because he had invited someone who _wasn’t_ one of them both – Billy or Teddy – to the secret clearing. Or maybe it _would_ , and Billy would be forced to go back to school where people like John Kessler didn’t think of him more than a tossed wrapper to be torn apart before being tossed away again, where he could only talk to Tommy and Kate because no one else _cared enough_ to hear what he had to say, not even his other brothers at time, not even his parents, not even –

He didn’t bother to open up the app before he went over to the hunt tower in search for today’s sketch – an adorable Ponyta lying down underneath a bonsai tree while the rain poured down around her – and immediately placed it between his notebook pages to protect it. During all this, Tommy had decided to open the app on his own phone and inspected the gym with furrowed eyebrows.

“What do you think “please” means?” Tommy called over to his brother.

“No idea,” Billy said as he opened up the app for himself. Tommy hadn’t been taking a piss at him with the _please_ -part.

> Heraldswood’s South Hunting Observatory  
>  Gym level 1  
>  0 / 2000
> 
> n0noise  
>  Level 26
> 
> please??? _(Caterpie)_  
>  CP 10

Confused, Billy took out his notebook again to check where the conversation had left last time. He was certain it had nothing to do with asking for permission or anything like that, but he couldn’t be too sure either. He was right; the last message Teddy had left had been “a+ on art-his test!!”, where Billy had responded with “Proud of you :)!” He walked over to Tommy to show him the same.

When Tommy had read the last couple of weeks’ worth of messages, he took out the day’s sketch and studied it for a bit, laughing when he understood the subtle joke of a fire Pokémon in the rain.

“Your boyfriend got humor,” said Tommy as he turned the paper scrap over.

“He’s _not_ my boyfriend!”

Billy leaned in closeer to study what Tommy’s eyes were fixated on.

“Maybe he will be soon, though.” Tommy was jesting, of course, which was obvious as he laughed as he said it. However, on the backside of the note there were words that made Billy’s heart leap in his chest as he read them.

> “Billy,  
>  Will you meet me here, Friday at 5 next week?
> 
> \- Teddy”

Billy named the Pokémon he left behind – a Jigglypuff – only one word: “Yes!”

* * *

“I can’t believe you two!”

It seemed like no one could believe Billy these days. The voice had carried far in the otherwise quiet café, and people turned to frown at the trio in the corner-most table. Billy looked back at them apologetically, both the other customers and the owner of the voice.

“Are you two telling me you’re actually going to meet up with this guy?”

“Yeah, and why wouldn’t we?” Tommy looked furious for being told off for something he thought was a great idea, and his voice carried that fury well.

“Because what if he’s a murderer?!” Kate still had her voice an octave too high for Billy’s liking.

“He’s not going to be a fucking murderer, Katie.”

“Yeah, okay, but what about a – a kidnapper, or a child predator, huh? Someone praying on vulnerable lonely teens who spend too much time playing video games to think about real life risks?”

Billy opened his mouth for the first time since he thanked the cute dark barista – _Eli, hadn’t that been his name?_ – for his chai latte.

“I’m not vulnerable! And I _do_ other things than play only video games, too.”

“Oh Billy, but you are,” Kate said, anger still lurking underneath the worry she felt for him. “You think you’ve made a friend with someone you haven’t even met, nor talked to – no, don’t tell me your messages count as talking, they’re barely four words long – and if that doesn’t make you a vulnerable target I’m not sure what does.”

“It’s not that I _think_ I’ve made a friend – I honestly think we _are_ friends at this point. Look, we’ve talked for weeks already, and –“

“Honey.” Kate put her hands on Billy’s. “You don’t actually know the guy, and to be honest, it’s better if you stop trying to.”

He looked down at his hands and said nothing while Tommy whisper-yelled at Kate for crushing Billy’s hopes and dreams. 

* * *

Billy decided to go in the end, not listening to his best friend when he had the support of his twin backing his decision up. Kate had continued complaining throughout the week – Billy was sure it came from worry rather than actual anger – so when Kate asked him to _at least_ bring herself and Tommy with him, he didn’t have the heart to tell her no despite his wish to spend his first moment with Teddy alone.

Kate, raised up hunting on horsebacks and whatnot, and with a father who had made sure his two daughters were brought up both ladylike and fit enough to fend for themselves, didn’t have any problem whatsoever keeping up with Tommy’s quick pace through the forest – and as usual when they were out and about lately, Billy fell back while his companions walked ahead of him, talking about things Billy couldn’t be bothered to listen to, like Tommy’s failed flirting or Kate’s _horrendous_ attempts at flirting back. They would continue their awkward dance of trying to figure out each other’s feelings until Kate left for college, both of them realising too late that they wanted each other.

They reached the empty clearing which held the hunting tower in record time, taking only forty minutes instead of the better part of an hour. It made them turn up almost half an hour too early to the tower which Billy didn’t complain about – it gave him time to mentally prepare himself, and also let him be the recipient of the first meeting instead of the guest, which he supposed Teddy would be.

“Tommy, Kate, can you two go away for a bit?”

“We’re not leaving you here in the hands of a complete stranger,” Kate said. Tommy nodded alongside her words.

“Just out of sight? I don’t want Teddy to think we’ve come here to gang up on him or anything.”

“Yeah, sure bro.” The agreement had come a bit too quickly for Billy to think that his twin did this for _his_ sake, rather than the chance of spending time alone with Kate. In a forest. _Far away from parents._

Kate sighed. “Come on, let’s go then.” She let Tommy enthusiastically drag her behind him.

It wasn’t completely queit when they left, their voices muffled but within earshot as they disappeared out of sight from the tower to do whatever they would do while they waited for Billy and Teddy to meet. He felt at ease knowing they would be there if he needed them.

He sat down under the tower, near one of the four thick logs which acted like legs to raise the building up. The wood looked wet, but felt dry to the touch, so Billy took a moment to force his breathing to be even and calm no matter how nervous he felt as he leaned against it.

Opening the Pokémon GO app, Billy noted that Teddy had left his Pokémon nickname-free this time. He didn’t think much about it, figuring it had to do with today’s date. _Date._ Well, he supposed it was a sort of date, though perhaps not romantic in nature – at least not from Teddy’s viewpoint – but still a date to meet a new friend he could share his interests with. When he claimed the gym as his own, he left his Pokémon’s name blank too.

Five o’clock passed, and a quarter pass, Billy still had to force himself to breathe evenly, but he didn’t worry about Teddy’s absence. It was a long walk to the tower, and Teddy could have been held back by a Gyarados or Snorlax who just _had_ to be caught, forcing him to make a detour before he met up with Billy. Or his classes could’ve dragged on over scheduled time, the lecturer talking about something which would show up the exams, forcing Teddy to stay behind so he wouldn’t fail his classes. Or maybe his mother had called and wanted to have a small chat before she left to Tokyo, or some other exotic place Billy was sure he would never visit if he kept the grades he currently had.

By half past, he couldn’t control his breathing anymore, and a knot had formed in his stomach which hurt so much he had to bend over, wishing over and over in his head that it would disappear before it did.

When the time came close to six, Billy blamed Teddy for his own tardiness.

By six thirty, Billy blamed himself.

Kate and Tommy returned when Billy texted them, both with dirty pants and broad grins on their faces until they saw that he was alone.

“Aww, he’s gone already?” Tommy teased, ruffling his brother’s hair. “How was he? Hotter than you thought, I bet.”

Billy let out a sob he didn’t know he had in him.

“He didn’t show up.”

Immediately, both Kate and Tommy were on him, giving him long hugs and encouraging words they hoped would take away some of the pain they knew their lonely friend had in himself. He thought he heard Tommy sob once against his shoulder, but he couldn’t be sure as his own whole body shook from all his crying, knowing both of them would never hold his emotions against him.

“He didn’t deserve you anyways,” Kate said when the longest of the several hugs he had gotten from her ended. “As a friend or more, he doesn’t deserve you at all.”

Billy wanted to believe her.


	2. Scars on his back

”We’ll join Mystic for you, Billy.”

“Yeah! We can all play together!”

“Guys, thanks, but you don’t have to. Really. It’s alright.”

“It’s done. I’m a filthy blue now – and you know Tommy’s been one since we left the forest.”

“Guys…”

“Please play with us again, bro.” Billy heard the worry in Tommy’s voice.

“I really don’t want to, after…”

“We know, honey, but it hurts to see you like this.” The same hurt was in Kate’s.

Billy took a deep breath, fighting through the lump in his throat which threatened to close up the pipe altogether. It made Billy end up on the floor, the lack of air choking him as Tommy freaked out. He clawed at his brother’s neck to stop whatever was happening, despite knowing it would only make it worse – even shedding some angry tears while he did so – and Kate, level-headed as always, would call an ambulance. But then a tight breath came through his nose and the panic left Billy’s body alongside the worst of the lump.

Body lax, he forced himself to speak.

“It hurts for me too.”

It came out quieter than he had anticipated and louder than he had wanted, the words harsh but his voice soft. It contained more emotion than he could handle, yet the sentence was filled with far too little feeling to convey all that his heart contained.

Before, right after the evening at the gym, when a few days had passed and his patience run thin, Tommy had yelled at Billy to _stop being so goddamn sad_ over a boy _he didn’t even know_ , and _please, for the sake of my sanity, stop crying._ Billy hadn’t blamed him for his words. Well, not too much, at least.

Now, however, Tommy sat next to him, a soft and not-quite-understanding but definitely a full-of-empathy arm slung over Billy’s shoulders. His chest was open for Billy to cry on, as Kate’s expensive shirt had large patches of wetness already on it. It was, at least what Billy though, the fifth day this exact scenario had happened. But because the last day had been such a blur for the boy, he added a day or two in his mind, making it the seventh instead – _a week straight of crying_. Both Kate and Tommy had fallen into a routine – a fact that saddened the both of them, seeing Billy this miserable. They refused to talk about it.

“Come,” Kate began when Billy wasn’t hanging over her anymore. “We’ll go to a park, pack some snacks and just breathe, alright? Get out of this room.”

Billy fell over the bed when his head rest – Tommy’s chest – rose with hope in his eyes.

“I’ll run down to the corner shop and buy some Cheetos, alright? And some Pepsi, yeah, buddy?” His hope faltered when Billy didn’t answer right away, and then came back in full force when he saw Billy look up _without_ tears in his eyes for the first time in days.

“Alright. But no Pokémon, plea–“

“Of course not!” Tommy cut off.

Kate agreed with him. “We wouldn’t even dream of it.”

Tommy was out of the room before the other two people on the bed had gotten themselves on their feet. Kate packed Mrs Kaplan’s cooling bag with bottles of water and an assorted collection of fruit: apples, a browning banana, and the last slices of a watermelon which Tommy had bought the day before in hopes of cheering up his brother a bit. They left the house without speaking to the adults, and then they met Tommy already on his way back to the house, bags in his hands overflowing with far more than just some soda and cheesy snacks. His brother’s thoughtfulness brought a smile on Billy’s lips. 

He didn’t have the energy to go very far, not after having spent the last week mostly in his bed. He rose from it only to go to school, falling right back into his duvet the moment he got home, and then he didn’t leave it until the cycle repeated itself.

They walked to a park behind the convenience store Tommy had just left. Billy had found it while hunting for a gym, which was located right in the middle of it, but the entire park was technically a private courtyard behind locked gates, surrounded by high skyscrapers. The privacy lowered the Poké-crazed visitors, and it would be the perfect place for Billy relax from the frenzy which still surrounded the app.

They got in by paging a girl from Kate’s childhood; a pretty blonde named Cassandra Lang, who lived in one of the skyscrapers surrounding the courtyard. Billy knew she was far too nice for her own good, and their slight meetings before had proved so over and over. They were ushered in quickly, but otherwise didn’t share many words – Kate had mentioned only that they needed some peace and quiet, leaving all other details out of it. Billy silently thanked her for her discretion.

The brunette and his best friend sat down on some comfortable-looking benches (which, sadly, weren’t even close to being as comfortable as they looked) while Tommy sat down on the ground in front of Kate, resting his back against her legs. Billy leaned against the back support, spreading his arms wide behind Kate and legs equally wide in front of him. He let out a groan as he tipped his head back to let the sun shine on his skin. Some time passed in this peaceful state, but then Kate had bent down to fetch an apple for her to nibble on, and the fragile magic had been broken.

There was a restlessness in Billy he normally didn’t possess – and Tommy, who could usually not sit still for periods longer than a couple of minutes, had his eyes closed, relaxed with his face in half shadow. He hadn’t seen him this relaxed in a long time, and though he damned his own inability to sit still, he thanked whoever had given Tommy’s body some time to rest. Billy tapped his fingers against the backrest, his foot following a made-up rhythm he didn’t recognise, and his muscles ached over not finding a comfortable position to sit in.

It was perhaps because of this jittery feeling inside him that he, though he had _wanted_ to leave his worries at home, took out his phone from his front pocket. He checked for missed calls he knew he wouldn’t have, and for notifications he had blocked for the day, and then, without thinking, he opened the dreaded app before he had made a conscious decision to do just so. He checked the gym closest to him. It was already blue.

 

> Lion’s Statue  
>  Gym Level 6  
>  7627 / 8000

There were several different trainers who had added their own Pokémon in hopes of keeping the gym in the blue team’s grasp for as long as possible. In Billy’s opinion, it was a very impressive collection they had created. He added one of his strongest Pokémon, and it’s strength rose with an impressive 400 CP over the previously strongest Pokémon. He felt the urge to place a Lure Module on the nearby Pokéstop rise inside him, and closed the app down quickly before it was too late and before people started running around in hopes to catch a rare Pokémon when all Billy wanted to do was to relax.

For several hours they lounged at the bench, feeling the sun go down by the chilliness which spread across their skin, rather than forcing their eyes open to check. They had rearranged themselves so that Kate and Tommy were barely touching each other, Kate and _Billy_ definitely doing so – their friendship strong enough that Kate at one point put her face on his chest. Billy let her snuggle closer as he put his arm around her.

When the sky was turning into a dark navy blue, the kind of sky which would show stars if they had not been in New York, Cassandra came out with a friend in tow to claim the gym from Mystic. Kate and Cassandra (Cassie, as Kate called her, and which the blonde woman told Billy to call her too) talked animatedly as her friend – a _gorgeous_ man with muscles that could only mean he was in _at least_ two sports clubs, hair more yellow than a dandelion if dandelions weren’t so bright – stood behind her quietly. He looked out of place when Billy had glanced over to him. He felt slightly for the man, for after all, Billy had someone to talk to – _though Tommy might not be the best conversation partner_ – while the guy, whose name he had missed during the introductions, had none.

He had taken a look at Tommy, who was engrossed in a group chat conversation taking place on his smartphone, and picked up his own phone to see how his team’s gym was being crushed fast. The hunk – _blonde, muscular,_ pierced _hunk indeed –_ had already brought down the gym a few levels, and Billy was thoroughly impressed. When he saw the gym turn grey, Billy decided to ditch his brother to go over and congratulate the, _wait, was the gym red?_

“Good job, man. For a Valor.”

“Wha – oh, thanks!”

“How many revives did you use?” The question was unnecessary – many, of course – but Billy was desperate to continue the conversation, lest an awkward moment would arise.

“Um, twenty? I mean, it could’ve been more.”

“Ah.”

“Yeah.”

“Do you, eh.” His attempts at keeping the conversation awkward-free weren’t working very well. “Do you come here often?”

 _Come here often?_ Was Billy flirting with the nameless man as if they were in a bar, looking for some goddamn _hook up_?

“Um.”

“I, uh – I meant, to this gym, of course.”

“Oh! Yeah, as often as I can. If Cassie’s free, of course.”

“Alright. How do you know each other?”

“We’re in the same class.” When he realised Billy didn’t know what class he was talking about, the man continued: “We read art history together.”

“Oh!”

“Yeah.”

They stood quietly as the man finished adding his own Pokémon to the gym. Billy decided he wouldn’t open the app until they left – stealing someone’s gym right underneath their nose was a low blow, although he had gotten the treatment himself just moments before.

He walked back to Tommy when he realised none of them would initiate further conversation. Tommy looked at him with a glint in his eye, realising Billy’s attraction without being told – Billy wondered if it had to do with their twin connection or if he had just been that obvious. He decided to smile at his twin, shyly, shrugging his shoulders as he did so.

“Teddy, we should leave.” Cassie’s voice broke the silence that had fallen over the group since she and Kate had started their hushed conversation, safely far away from the boys’ ears. The world seemed to move again after their bubble had been burst.

_Oh._

“Yeah, coming, just give me a sec.”

Billy’s mind, however, stood still. Realisation hit him hard in the gut as he stood there, and if he would have been able to focus his eyes on a single point, he would’ve seen the exact moment both Kate and Tommy realised who Teddy was, just by looking at Billy’s reaction.

_Art history._

Tommy was the one to first spring to action, and he addressed Teddy for the first time.

“Bro, you play Pokémon Go much, or _much_ much?

“Ehm, _much_ much, I suppose?” Teddy answered honestly, confused at being spoken to so suddenly.

“And you’re, like, really into it.” It wasn’t a question.

A small blush spread across Teddy’s cheeks.

 _Oh fuck_.

“Yeah.”

“Do you know of this tower, like a hunting one, in Heraldswood?”

Now they all – sans Cassie, confused over the entire exchange – realised where Tommy was heading.

A whisper, mixed with awe: “ _Billy_.” Teddy’s voice sounded broken.

The name-owner winced at his name being uttered.

“Shit, I’m so sorry, I –“

“No, it’s alright, totally fine, dude, it’s cool. I understand why you didn’t come, you really don’t have to explain yourself.”

_Fuck, fuck, fuck._

“No, I need to explain. I’m so sorry –“

“No!”

Billy hadn’t realised he had screamed the word until he closed his mouth. He repeated himself, voice hoarse and with none of the gusto he had just shown. “No, please.”

He left the group before they could see how his eyes teared up quickly, threatening to overflow.

_Why?_

* * *

 

“Billy, please.”

“No!”

Kate sighed until all the air in her lungs had escaped. “Listen, Cassie said it was all a mistake.”

“But it’s _not_ , right? It’s perfectly clear he didn’t want to meet up!”

“He said he had something getting in the way.”

“We stayed for _hours_ afterwards to make sure, Katie. I’m pretty sure he would’ve come if he wanted to.”

“Bro, I need you to believe us.”

“Not you too, Tommy. Don’t get on his side, please.

“Teddy said he was sorry, alright? He texted me – and Katie, too! – to make sure you got the message.”

 _Easy to forgive someone when you weren’t the one who got hurt._ He never put voice to his thoughts. Instead he said: “He didn’t text _me_ to say sorry.”

Tommy slapped his own forehead. “Because he’s terrified of how you’ll react!”

“He doesn’t want you to think he’s doing this just to feel better about himself,” Kate added, nodding vigorously at Tommy’s words.

“So he sent the two of you to do his job.”

“Yes, he sent us, because you’re a _stubborn ox_ , Billy, and we’re helping him because we know how much this is killing _you_!” She reached over to him when she saw tears falling down his cheek. “Darling, please let us help you.”

His feelings overflowed together with the tears.

“I thought we were _friends_ , Kate, I thought we had something going on.”

“I know, babe, I know.”

“And I thought he wanted to know me for m – _me_.”

“And why wouldn’t he want to do that? You’re a great person. Shh, breathe out slowly.”

“It isn’t _fair_.”

“We know.”

“It isn’t fair that _he_ was the first one to talk to me who wasn’t you guys. I – I deserve better, and it isn’t _fair_ , at _all._ ”

Tommy looked up from his phone. “He’s nicer than you think, Billy. I really think he cares about you. Look.”

He shoved his phone into Billy’s face. A text message filled the entire screen.

> **From:** Teddy  
>  **To:** Me  
>  **1:38 PM**
> 
> its not right for me to do this, i know, but ive never been as happy as ive been when talking to billy, alright? and i might not be able to gain his forgiveness ever but i want to make sure he knows that i never intended it to be this way okay? my life is shit right now and i want him to know that he has been the only reason it hasnt been so shitty lately

“Not so shitty lately?”

“Don’t ask me, dude.”

The corner of his mouth lifted before he could force it to stop. Kate noticed. Tommy didn’t.

“You should let him explain himself.” Kate placed a hand on his back and stroked in large, circular motions.

Billy tried to breathe slowly, in and out, in and out again, before he took a last breath and answered:

“I need some time.”

* * *

 

Teddy already stood outside the café when Billy turned around the corner. Billy had let Tommy send Teddy his number after he had read Teddy’s rambling text, and the two of them had been talking – albeit via text messages, but it was better than talking via nicknamed Magikarps and Ponytas – for little over a month now. The first messages Teddy had sent included a lot of _sorry_ s and _I fucked up_ s.

And though Billy hadn’t gotten an explanation to why Teddy hadn’t showed up (“It should be said in person,” Teddy had insisted when they _called_ for the first time, a week after their first text message), he still felt, deep inside, that Teddy was someone worth listening to. And a person worthy to forgive, if he found the explanation Teddy had to be a worthy one.

Teddy’s eyes were searching the crowd for Billy, but couldn’t find him. Where Teddy stood out like a sore thumb against the bleak world, with something almost like a shine emitting from his very core up the street, Billy melted into the mass like a chameleon. _Would I look as out of place as he does if I stand next to him?_ Billy allowed himself to think. He doubted it would be so.

Teddy noticed him, finally, when Billy was a mere foot away, and raised a hand to give the brunette a silent salute. He turned around without saying anything and opened the door, beckoning Billy in. When he stalled a moment too long in the doorway, Teddy put his hand on his shoulder and smiled, showing that he _wanted_ Billy to enter, to not run away, to listen to what Teddy had to say. So he did go in, because as stubborn as he might be, he was still awfully weak against blonde hunks who happened to play _both_ basketball and football _, and_ be a nerd at the same time.

“Have you been here before?” Billy asked as they shrugged off their winter coats and scarves by the entrance.

“No, not that I can remember.”

“Then I’ll show you where the best table is.”

The dark skinned barista – _definitely Eli_ , Billy remembered – which Billy had thought cute once, before he had laid his eyes upon Teddy, stood behind the counter like any other day. He skimmed through one of the comic books the café kept next to the newspaper for customers to read over their morning coffee. He looked up as they neared the cashiers, and a smile – professional and perfect – adorned his face.

“What can I get the two of you today?”

The question was left hanging on Billy’s end. He hoped Eli would’ve added the “Honey” he had adapted after hearing Kate call Billy so far too often, but perhaps due to the date he was on – _again, not a romantic one, right? One between friend; no, not friend,_ acquaintances _who have a matter to discuss. But still a date, right? –_ he left the nickname out of the conversation.

“Just a chai latte,” Billy said at last.

“Extra sugar?”

“Yeah, thanks.” Billy blushed, knowing that Eli knew his and his friends’ orders by heart, them coming in at least three times a week and all.

“No problem, _honey.”_ The teasing, sarcastic nickname made Billy feel more secure in the situation he was in. And because he was secure in the situation, he always felt secure in the location he had chosen. _Well done._

Eli turned to Teddy, who looked at the barista with thin eyes. “And you?”

“I’ll, um, I’ll get one of your iced coffees.”

“In this weather?” Eli laughed at his own comment, but he wasn’t completely off with it – outside the dew from the morning had left the streets with a thin crust of ice for them to walk on.

Teddy, although he laughed, didn’t sound sincere. “Yeah.”

“Extra sugar?”

“No. Just plain.”

“Alright.” Eli turned to Billy. “ _Hun_ , your total comes to five dollars and sixty-seven –“

“I’ll pay for both.”

Eli gave Billy a knowing grin as the brunette turned to look back at Teddy in disbelief. What he saw was a Teddy with crossed arms over his chest, frown on his face, and a determination Billy didn’t dare cross over a chai latte. _He’s almost looking… jealous? No, wait, don’t think that Billy, don’t hope for shit._

He let Teddy pay without arguing.

“Alright,” Eli said. “Then your total is nine forty-nine. I’ll go get your drinks.”

“Thank you.”

“Thanks.”

Billy steered the two of them to Kate’s favourite corner table and sat himself down on the hard chair, leaving the comfier sofa to Teddy. _Would’ve served him right to be placed on an uncomfortable chair, though._ But he wasn’t raised a barbarian.

Teddy looked around uncomfortably when they were seated, a furrow forming on his forehead which Billy supposed he _wasn’t_ to notice. But he did so anyways, thin lines covering the skin. Billy knew that one day, those faint lines would create deeper, handsome wrinkles on a mature face. In his mind he was already imagining waking up next to a man who had been with him for years and years, someone who knew him like the back of their own hand, with grey hair which still had streaks of blonde poking through – but no, he shouldn’t, _couldn’t,_ sit here and dream of a far off future with a man he wasn’t even sure he wanted.

“So.”

Billy didn’t bite the bait, which Teddy had laid, to start a conversation.

Teddy tried again: “So…”

“Chai latte and iced coffee, done!”

Billy sprang to his feet. “I’ll get it!”

“Ah, alright.”

He almost ran over to Eli, who stood waiting by the drinks.

“On a date, huh?” he asked as Billy got close enough to hear.

“No, um… A maybe-date?”

“Maybe-date.”

“You could say that.”

“He’s cute, if guys can be so. Got real mad when I called you _honey_ , too.”

“Um.”

“Hah! _Maybe_ , my ass. Oh, right. You might not want to spend all your time talking to me when you got your _not-so_ maybe-date to attend to.”

“Right.”

“Before you go – here. I’ll add these cookies for you. On the house. Well, Tommy can pay for them next time he’s over.”

“Thanks, Eli. That means a lot.”

“Don’t thank me.”

With a wink, sarcastic as always, if you knew how to read the man, Eli was off, serving other customers waiting for their hot beverages to fill their cold stomachs.

Though the conversation with Eli had taken a while for someone just brining their drinks from the counter, Billy was back at the table far too soon. He placed Teddy’s cold coffee next to the man, and earned himself a shiver as he felt the cold run down his arm. He gripped his piping hot tea and held it in his hand as he manoeuvred the tray with cookies to be placed between them, acting as a low shield for Billy’s emotions.

“Took you long enough – _no,_ sorry, I mean, it was uncalled for. Sometimes my mouth just – it just says things? That I don’t want it to say.”

He continued to backtrack his words until he saw Billy’s smile.

“It’s alright, I get it.” Billy let out a small laugh. “Anyways, Eli just wanted a little chat.”

“Eli?”

“Friend of Tommy’s. I don’t really know him apart from here.”

“Yeah?”

“Yeah.”

They took a couple of sips from their respective drinks, and Teddy ate his cookie in two big bites. When he was done with it, Teddy looked around, trying to _not_ look constipated and failing considerably. He didn’t, however, seem to be in the mood to start the difficult conversation which lay in front of them.

“So,” Billy said this time around.

Teddy didn’t answer.

Clearing his voice, Billy continued. “Look, Teddy – _shit_ – you gotta talk, alright? I don’t wanna be here, but you’re forcing me to, and if you’re not gonna talk I might as well go home and we’ll end what we have right here and now.”

“I’m sorry.”

“Yeah, I’ve gathered as much.”

“No, I mean that I’m _really_ sorry. For what happened at the forest, and afterwards at Cassie’s.”

“Yeah, well –“

“ – I know I fucked up, Billy.”

“You didn’t show up, though, you know? To our date.”

“I mean, it wasn’t really – _yes._ I mean, yes. I’m sorry I didn’t show up… to our date.”

“Right.”

“I wanted to tell you as soon as I could what a stupid mistake I had made, but when I finally got there at – what, nine thirty? – you were already long gone. Which I _understand_ , of course you would leave when it got dark. But then you didn’t show up afterwards. I checked every day throughout the entire week.”

“Isn’t it obvious why I didn’t show up again?”

Teddy looked pained as he heard Billy’s words.

“It _is_ , but I still got worried.”

 _The nerve, feeling sorry when you couldn’t be bothered to meet up with me, the little_ shit _, fuck –_ Billy knew, of course, that his anger was meaningless, targeted more towards his own feelings than Teddy. But despite this realisation, his words still came out poisonous, said only to hurt.

“Why the _fuck_ would you be worried?”

“I fucked up, alright?! I fucked up, and I want to apologise for it.”

“Yeah? Well, all I hear are excuses. What could’ve been more important than meeting someone _you_ asked to meet up with?”

His voice came out as a low, fake whisper in an attempt no to drag unnecessary attention towards them. Teddy, however, had already lost control over his emotions, his hands thrown up in the air as he talked, though his voice remained level and calm.

“I don’t know, Billy! Maybe I was scared, alright, so I met up with a childhood friend to get some bravery back – even though he’s a complete asshole who has made my life shitty lately, because I had _no one else_ to talk to. And maybe I told him about out _date_ , I mean, why would I keep that a secret from him? And he listens, actually listens for the first time since we were _six_ , and he’s so happy and glad for me. But then the day comes, and he calls, crying, telling me his _mother_ just _died_ – “

Billy gasped at Teddy’s words, letting out a small “oh my God, I’m so sorry,” but Teddy didn’t stop.

“– and you sit there, trying to comfort someone you see as your best friend no matter what shit he’s put you through, and he asks you to stay – because _really_ , what’s more important, old friends or new flings? – and he’s a mess, Billy, crying so much you wouldn’t believe it.”

The sigh that travelled through Teddy’s body was so heavy and powerful that Billy could feel its effects in his own lungs. The very same lungs, which now contracted in a way Billy was not sure was actually physically possible, forcing the air out of them and making his head light. The tears, which had formed in his eyes, fell – and with them, the anger fell away to be replaced with shame. When he was sure his voice would hold up, he talked.

“I’m so sorry, Teddy. I can’t believe I got angry over you not turning up, now. You could’ve just told me.”

“That’s the thing.” Billy didn’t like how tired the voice sounded. “You have all rights to still be angry.”

“Huh?”

“Greg, I mean, my asshole friend – he lied.”

“ _What?!”_

 “I have no idea why he did it, honestly. Eight passed and as on cue, he stopped crying all of a sudden and admitted his mom was well and healthy.” Another deep sigh. “I was so angry, Billy, so fucking angry. I pushed him off of me, forced myself out of his room – out of his _arms_ – and I ran, Billy, I mean, I ran as fast as I could. I’m sorry I was late.”

He looked into Billy’s eyes, the sea blue colour blinding his own brown from everything around them, everything other than Teddy’s face, his sad, sad face, and his even sadder eyes.

“I’m sorry I hurt you.”

“It’s, well, it’s alright. I suppose.”

“I’m sorry I believed him.”

“Oh, sweetie, no.” He stood up, ignoring the hurt look in Teddy’s eyes that showed all too clearly that he was afraid Billy would leave him. Billy, however, motioned towards Teddy to scoot over, and he sat next to him, ass landing on Teddy’s thigh and sliding down so it rested right next to the more muscular one out of them. “Never apologise for trusting someone’s word.”

“It’s just – this isn’t the first time this has happened; you know? Me, trying to find someone to share my interests with, and Greg destroying whatever I thought could lead to something. But it was the first time he did something as big as _this._ ”

Billy put his arm around Teddy’s waist.

“ _Any_ idea why he did this?”

“Truthfully?” The tears and the anger towards Greg left Teddy’s face as it was replaced by red speckles on his cheeks. “I might have told him, uh, that I was forming a slight, well, crush? – on you.”

Billy’s face now matched Teddy’s blush.

“ _Oh_.”

They didn’t move.

“So…” It was the second time today that Billy had started a topic discussion just like this, and the third time either of them had used it to break the tension between the two of them. “You’ve broken it off with him, though?”

“Greg? Yeah, I mean, it was due anytime soon, anyways. He’s been acting really shitty about me liking Pokémon Go lately, or reading comics, or enjoying Game of Thrones – but then he went and did a stunt like that, and I just, I mean, I just lost it. Hit him, even,” Teddy said with a guilty expression on his face. “God, I felt so bad about that. But yes. Hopefully once and for all. I mean, Cassie has helped me a lot.”

“That’s nice – well, not the hitting part.”

“I swear, I’m usually not a violent guy.”

“I know.”

The smile Teddy’s face broke out into made his eyes thin slivers, impossible to differentiate from the laughing crows which took over the upper part of his face. Billy smiled back, though he was sure his face wasn’t even close to be as beautiful as Teddy’s was when he did so. They drank the rest of their beverages, trying to figure out what other hobbies they shared – apart from Pokémon Go – now that Billy had completely forgiven Teddy. The afternoon, which had started overcast and on the brink of rain, now blinded everyone in a sunshine which matched Billy’s happiness.

* * *

 

“Tonight has been great, Teddy.”

“You – you think so? I’m glad.”

“Yeah, first the comic book store and then finding a Blastoise? Amazing!”

“Oh.”

Billy looked up into slightly disappointed blue eyes, and let a teasing grin widen his face.

“You were pretty great too, you know.”

He stood on his toes to give Teddy a kiss on the cheek, then one on the other, and lastly placing a small peck on the lips. They had gone further before – the heavy make out session in which they had thrown Tommy out of their shared room the week before had been _great_ , and still left Billy’s body full of tingles at the memory – but kissing, casually, _in public_ , right outside Teddy’s flat; it still felt awkward in the early steps of their relationship.

Teddy had never invited Billy back to his place before, mainly because their dates often took place in the city rather in the suburbs. Billy also suspected it had to do with insecurities coming from Teddy, rather than not wanting Billy to enter his safe zone. But now they stood there, in close proximity, and Billy wondered whether or not Teddy would ask him up.

“No one, apart from me, has been in my room since Greg,” Teddy had explained once, the rest of the conversation topic long forgotten but the very sentence still burning hot in Billy’s mind. _Since Greg_. He had forced himself not to be jealous.

“Did you love him, back then?” Billy had asked while he tried to sound non-confrontational.

“I thought I did. Knowing now, I probably didn’t.”

Billy had wrapped both of his hands around one of Teddy’s giant ones, just like he was doing right then in front of the doorway for an entirely different reason. The warmth Teddy radiated, both mentally and physically, spread through Billy’s body, and he took a deep breath of the icy early spring air.

“Teddy – “

“Billy – “

Billy coughed hard and looked at his own feet.

“Billy, would you like to, um, come up? I mean, only if you want to! Maybe you’re tired and want to go home instead.”

His eyes lifted so fast he almost felt dizzy, his eyesight failing to find a safe spot to land on among the different parts of Teddy’s face. They jumped from a big, straight nose, to the corners of his sheepishly smiling mouth, and then they were on his pierced ears and his golden hair and his Adam’s apple all at once, the thoughts in his mind moving so fast he was certain they were racing each other for his attention. And then his eyes landed on blue ones, filled with hope, and Billy could do nothing more than to take a moment to just stare into them.

“I’d love to.”

He released one of his hands from Teddy’s, but left the other to act as a link between the two of them as they quietly walked to the elevator, ascending the floors in the same silence. They got out of it and found themselves in a dark hallway, the only light present coming from underneath closed doors where more students – or single working people, perhaps, Billy didn’t judge – lived their lives.

The light didn’t turn on automatically as they walked down the hallways, and neither of the boys made a move to change the situation they found themselves in. They got to Teddy’s door, and he quickly opened it for them.

“Um,” Teddy said. “You can…”

“Thanks.” Billy entered the small apartment, one step enough to find himself in the centre of the room. “It’s, eh, nice?”

“No, but at least it’s something.”

“True.”

He stood there, afraid to touch anything – afraid even of disturbing the air around him – as Teddy slowly removed his jacket and heavy boots. He saw him walk to the kitchen to fill two glasses to the brim with water. Billy took one of them, then immediately placed it on the small kitchen table which acted like a desk, to remove his own outer clothes. Contemplating it for a split second, he also decided to remove his jumper, leaving him in just a T-shirt.

Turning back, he saw that Teddy had done the same.

“I thought we could maybe watch a movie? I have Netflix.” Teddy sat himself down as he talked.

“Are you suggesting we Netflix and _chill_? Because, honestly, that meme wasn’t even funny when it was still relevant.”

Teddy’s right hand – _slightly damp still, I bet, from my own hand sweat_ – found itself scratching his neck as a blush crept onto his face.

“Um, we can just put on the news if you want.”

“Will we watch it?”

The blush deepened. “No.”

 _Great_ , Billy thought as he flung himself onto Teddy’s sitting body. He spread his tawny body out in an attempt to cover as much muscle mass as possible, but the task was hopeless, and he settled to bring his lips to Teddy’s instead.

They met, familiar already. Billy opened his own mouth to let Teddy’s tongue in, and wasn’t disappointed at the short time it took to make his wish come true. He sucked on it, making Teddy grunt deep in his chest, and _oh_ , his hands were already roaming the sliver of skin exposed at the hem of his shirt, pushing it further up to access more.

As Billy lost his shirt, he moved his own hands to Teddy’s arms, moving them up and down, _up and down_ , like he was trying to create heat through friction. If Teddy’s arms had already been hard when he had done so, they tensed into fleshy rocks as Billy’s nails dug into them when Teddy’s hands had given up on roaming his upper body, instead travelling to his denim-clad ass to squeeze it.

Two moans left the pair of them; Teddy’s embarrassingly high, and Billy’s surprisingly deep.

The small, outdated TV remained silent. That didn’t mean the flat was quiet, however. From the room next door, music with a heavy base was heard as the pulses boomed through the walls, and from outside a siren could be heard in the distance. And from within: heavy breaths, the rustling of clothes, and broken gasps as either of them accidentally moved his body against the other’s erection.

Teddy continued to cup Billy’s ass as he lifted the two of them off of the sofa. Billy’s legs wrapped around Teddy’s waist without him thinking about it, and his arms hugged around the blonde’s neck. Their lips parted as Teddy started walking.

“Bed?” Billy giggled as he realised where they were going. Teddy grunted an affirmative response, and through his jeans Billy could feel the erection Teddy sported, casually brushing against Billy’s thigh as he swung to and fro. He moaned, and let his hips press his own into Teddy’s stomach.

Teddy smashed their mouths together just before he carefully lowered his bed-partner down onto the mattress. They ended up bouncing a bit before they stabilised, despite Teddy’s attempts for it not to happen – but the damage was already done. Billy’s teeth crashed into Teddy’s as they brought their lips together, and they both groaned out in pain.

“Sorry, so sorry.”

“No, I mean, it was my fault.”

“No, sorry, it was mi– “

Teddy shut him up by kissing him again.

Billy’s mouth went lax as he focused on his other body parts, roaming his hands down Teddy’s body, making the blonde squirm – _holy hells, am I making someone like_ Teddy _moan? –_ on top of him as _Billy_ was the one squeezing ass. Teddy rolled his hips downwards, pushing their erections together, and Billy _swore_ , he could feel Teddy’s dick twitch through all the layers which separated flesh from flesh.

His hands left the perfect ass of the man above him and roamed to the washboard-like stomach, tense and defined six pack which Billy’s mouth wanted to lick clean from whatever could dirty it up. Chocolate, maybe. Or their mixed fluids.

He lifted the shirt up, over pecs and over head, and then motioned for Teddy to push their chests together so he could feel stiff nipples against his own. His hands left the front of Teddy’s body. They moved to the side, tracing each rib with light fingers, until the tip of his trimmed nails hit a bump on Teddy’s back.

He ignored it – until he felt another one. _Is he hurt? How many of these are there?_

“Um…” Billy started.

“Don’t worry about it,” Teddy offered. “It’s just some scars.”

“Oh. Do, um – do they hurt?”

“We can stop if they make you disgusted?”

“What? No! Teddy, I’m more turned on than I’ve ever been in my entire _life_.”

Teddy smiled. “Good, me too.”

“Can I see them?” Billy’s voice came out quietly, as if he were shy to ask.

“Yeah. I mean, if you want to,” Teddy answered, the worry prevalent under the brave font he put up.

 They turned around so Billy was mounted on top of Teddy’s ass, grinding his hard dick down between the still-covered cheeks of Teddy’s ass, making both of them moan. He then looked at the scarring.

Billy’s words came out as a gasp: “Oh, Jesus.”

“I know, there’s a lot of them,” Teddy winced, and tried to roll over to hide his back.

“ _Honey_ , what happened?”

“Greg decided it was more fun to use me as a human ashtray than to use an actual one.”

“ _Fuck.”_

“They don’t hurt… anymore.”

There was a pause as Billy traced the scars, touching each and every one of them.

“Is it bad for me to say that they’re almost… beautiful? Like, in a non-creepy way.”

“You really think so?”

“Yeah.”

Teddy turned around underneath Billy, this time succeeding, lifting him up when they were facing to place Billy on his hips.

“You’re the first to say that. Everyone else mostly just runs.”

Billy looked at Teddy with a confused look. “Are you serious? They ran from _you?_ When you’re like –“ he punctuated the next word by grinding his hips down. “ _the_ hottest person alive, Teddy, I cannot believe we’re actually about to get naked together.”

The eye-hiding grin presented itself onto Teddy’s face again. “Yeah? Better get you out of your pants then, mister.”

“Yes sir.”

They struggled for a bit as their pants left them and the bed, thrown across the room into messy piles.

Billy’s boxers were already a bit damp at the front, pre-come staining the garment. He felt a bit embarrassed over his obvious arousal until he cupped his hand around Teddy’s cock, feeling his hand go wet from the massive amount of pre-come Teddy had already produced during their make out session.

“Oh god,” Billy moaned as he dragged his hand up and down the thick dick in his hand, separated only by a thin piece of fabric which did nothing to stop the heat and smell from emanating from Teddy’s groin. “Jesus fucking _Christ_.”

Teddy wasn’t as vocal.

“Billy,” he repeated, again and again, different tones to point out different needs he felt while Billy lay atop him, pushing their dicks together again and again, and Billy thought that if he didn’t gain some real contact _now_ , he would die.

He pushed down his own boxers first, stopping at mid-thigh when his dick had been freed enough. He then moved to Teddy’s, only placing the hem underneath his balls before he took them both in the same hand, the head of his dick against the head of Teddy’s.

_Oh._

_Oh, fuck_.

Teddy caught on quickly, replacing Billy’s hand with his own and started pumping them slowly. Billy, now with his hands free, could do nothing other than trying to keep himself upright above Teddy, head hung low on his chest and panting like oxygen was scarce. Blonde hair scratched his skin as he moved closer, hip bones clashing into each other as they sought more contact.

Billy felt a hand on his ass again. He buckled against it slightly, encouraging it to do _more_ – _what_ , he didn’t know – yet not willing to leave the warm pressure of Teddy’s _other_ hand. He gasped when he felt fingers travel down between his cheeks, and he bit down on Teddy’s collar bone when the same fingers ghosted over his hole.

It was Teddy who started humping into his own hand, furthering the contact between their dicks and making Billy’s head spin. He wouldn’t last long, not with Teddy’s amount of pre-come acting like a make-shift lube for them to slide against each other faster and faster, a finger edging his hole, putting pressure on it but never entering.

Billy’s balls tensed more than he had ever felt them do before as he came all over Teddy’s stomach.

When he came to his senses again, Teddy jerked, following suit. And though Billy thought he loved kissing Teddy’s plump lips more than anything, it was nothing against the sound of Teddy’s voice when he whispered – no, _moaned_ – his name as he came, spurt after spurt tensing up the body underneath him as he himself lay spent on top.

* * *

 

“Hey, there’s a Charizard in my kitchen!”

Billy groaned, rolling out of bed to fetch his own phone. Battery dead, of course – he hadn’t charged it since yesterday morning.

“I can’t catch it.”

“Aw man, that almost makes me feel bad.”

“Come back to bed and I won’t be sad about it.”

“Coming!”


End file.
